Vehicle spring clip



Jan. 17, 1933.' w CRABTREE 1,894,757

VEHICLE SPRING CLIP Filed Oct. 10, 1950 ||ll II ,9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIlllIII/III 5 \mnum 8 W I? I 8 INVENTOR EEURGE' W'L'KWBTREE' ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 17, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE W. GRABTREE, F CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO VEHICLE SPRING CLIP Application filed October 10, 1930. Serial No. 487,655.

This invention pertains to laminated veby a bolt or screw C, and preferably, the clip hicle springs, and more particularly to a new is made of thinner and wider flat steel stock and novel clip for securing the leaves or than ordinarily used and portions or sections laminations of a vehicle spring together, all of the stock cut away or removed from the as set forth hereinafter in greater detail and cross Wall or connecting portion 2 of the clip more concisely pointed out in the claims. to providea readily bendable area or flexible Thus, the present clip is especially designed web 3 centrally between the side walls 4.4E of and constructed to permit its attachment the clip. The narrow web portion 3 is relareadily and conveniently to a leaf spring, and tively short or of less length than the whole 10 also to be as readily removed therefrom, all connecting portion 2 so that the clip may be without dismantling the spring itself or disfolded or bent very readily at its center withconnecting the spring from its shackles. The out much effort. Furthermore, the use of a clip also includes means for anchoring or conshort neck or web 3 or the removal of only a necting it to one of the spring leaves so that part of the stock from connecting portion 2 15 it may be fixed in a predetermined position does not weaken the clip immediately adjathereon and still permit the leaves to creep Cent the angular corners 55 of the clip but or move relatively to each other when the preserves or provides instead relatively wide i g i fl d, clamping or embracing areas 6-6 adapted to Reference may be had to the accompanyoverlap or cover the border portions of the v 20 ing drawing for a preferred embodiment of top or outer leaf 7 of the spring. Obviously the invention, Fig. 1 showing a side view of the wider areas 6-6 offer greater resistance a leaf spring shackled to the side member of to bendlng or folding strains, and folding or a chassis frame and provided with a pair of bending is localized and more readily efclips constructed according to my invention. fected in web 3. In a full sized clip, the web Fig. 2 is an enlarged top view of the clip afmay be made about one-half of an inch wide fixed to a section .of a leaf spring, and Fig. 3 and approximately three-quarters of an inch is a side and section of the same spring and long, to permit the clip to be easily opened clip. Figs. 4 and 5 are cross sectional views and closed by hand, and to be folded or bent f th i h i th li Open d frequently wlthout breaking and without dis- M 30 slipped over the spring in Fig. 4, and closed tortlng any other part of the clip. g0

and clamped upon the spring in Fig. 5. Fig. In putting the clip onthe spring it is spread 6 is a smaller side view of the clip, and Fig. 7 open fi-I lCl the only part of the stock which is a side view of the coiled anchoring spring. distorted or bent is web 3 where curved on a Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the clip in its short radius to place the side walls 44 in 35 normal Open t t diverging angular relation, including the in- In repairing laminated vehicle springs, or wardly-extendmg bottom'walls 88 of the in applying protecting or lubricating covers clip and their downwardly-extending flanges to such springs, it is necessary frequently to 99 which .are formed with oppositely disremove and replace the clips which embrace posed bolt openings 1010. Having a 40 the leaves of the springs. Primarily, such spring with a given number of leaves or a clips function to prevent the superposed given thickness, the clip is designed when leaves from separating unduly and from spread open to slip freely over the spring spreading or fanning laterally, and the num until the curved web portion 3 is at rest cenber of clips used on a given spring varies trally upon the top leaf. In this position the with the type or length of spring. A combottom walls 8-8 of the clip are inclined mon practice is to rivet the clip to one of the upwardly and outwardly in respect to the leaves of the spring, or to clamp it on the corner edges of the bottom leaf 11 of the spring by means of a bolt. spring so that when the open end of the clip The present clip A is especially constructed is closed by pressing or drawing the side walls 7 50 to be clamped upon a laminated leaf spring B of the clip toward each other it follows that the inclined bottom walls 88 may be caused to ride against the corner edges of bottom leaf 11, to draw the sides of the truck downwardly and to flatten the connecting top portion 2. The narrow web 3 fosters such folding movements and prevents the angularly inclined walls of the clip from being unduly distorted when a clamping pressure is applied, and the clip may also be contracted to conform closely to the cross sectional size of the spring, especially at all four angular corners where the clip engages the edges of the top and bottom leaves of the spring.

A bolt or screw C may be used with a nut 12 to draw the clamping ends of the clip together, and I also provide means adapted to connect or anchor t e clip to one of the spring leaves to hold or maintain it in a predetermined place or position on the spring, and to prevent loose play or rattling. As shown, the anchoring means consists of a coiled compression spring 14 adapted to be sleeved on screw C so that it may be compressed between the head of the screw and depending flange 9 of the clip, thereby serving to maintain the screw locking connection under tension. Spring 14 is formed with an angular extension or finger 15 which is adapted to pass through the straight branch 16 of key-shaped opening in flange 9, thereby preventing a ring 14 from turning or rotating on screw The bent extremity of the finger or extension is also thereby placed centrally beneath the bottom leaf 11 of the vehicle spring when the clip is attached to the spring, and thifl leaf is provided at its free end with a small opening 17 to receive the bent extremity of finger 15, substantially as delineated in Fig. 3. Inasmuch as coiled spring 14 is held a rotation in respect to the clip, the c ip is anchored or fixed to the protruding end of leaf 11, which may be the bottom leaf of the vehicle spring, or any one of the leaves when the spring is composed of a plurality of leaves of graduated length as commonly.

In some types of springs, the clip may be slip (1 over the spring from one side instead of tli e top, and then turned to bring the buckled connecting portion or web 3 on top of the spring, or below in some cases. The spread portions having the perforated ears or flanges for the clamping bolt or screw may then be drawn together by a pair of pliers preliminary to connecting and tightening the screw.

What I claim, is:

1. A clip for laminated vehicle springs formed from flat stock, having angularlyrelated side walls and a connecting wall, said connecting wall being of the same width as said side walls at the angular corners therein and of reduced width medially thereof to provide a free flexing portion adapted to permit the clip to be readily buckled to slip over Q a vehicle spring.

2. A clip for laminated vehicle springs, having angularly related walls adapted to embrace a laminated vehicle spring, a clamp ing member for said clip adapted to secure the clip to the spring, and a coiled compression spring sleeved on said member having an extension engaging said clip and one of the leaves of the spring.

3. A clip for laminated vehicle springs, having angularly-related walls adapted to enclose a laminated vehicle spring and depending flanges on said walls having bolt openings, one of said openings being of irregular shape, and a clamping member and a locking member extending through said irregularly-shaped opening, said locking member engaging one of the leaves of said spring.

4. A clip for laminated vehicle springs, having a connecting wall of reduced cross section at its middle and straight side walls having inwardly extending portions provided with depending flanges formed with a key opening, in combination with a clamping member for said clip, a coiled spring sleeved on said'member having an angular extension projecting through said key opening, and a laminated leaf spring embraced by said clip having one of its leaves formed with an opening adapted to receive said extension.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GEORGE W. CRABTREE. 

